Eight years after the historic Women’s March, which took place when Donald Trump first took power, a second demonstration is planned for Saturday in the American capital.
Rebranded and reorganized, the march has a new name – the People’s March – to broaden support. The Republican is sworn in on Monday.
By 2017, women outraged by Mr. Trump’s presidential victory rallied in Washington, in addition to holding large rallies in cities across the country, building the basis of a grassroots movement that became known as the name Women’s March.
The Washington rally alone drew more than 500,000 demonstrators, and millions more participated in local marches across the country, marking one of the largest single-day protests in state history. -United.
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More than 500,000 people took part in the Women’s March on Washington in January 2017 (File photo)
Photo: Getty Images / Mario Tam
A much smaller crowd this time
This year’s march is expected to be ten times smaller than the first, as many progressive voters navigate feelings of exhaustion, disappointment and despair following Kamala Harris’ defeat.
The reality is that it’s just hard to capture lightning in a bottle
says Tamika Middleton, executive director of the Women’s March. It was a really special moment. In 2017, we hadn’t seen a Trump presidency and the kind of vitriol that represented.
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-Women’s March Executive Director Tamika Middleton (File photo)
Photo : Getty Images / Jemal Countess
The movement fractured after the hugely successful day of protests, amid accusations that it was not diverse enough. This year’s name change to People’s March is the result of an overhaul intended to broaden the group’s appeal.
Saturday’s protest will focus on themes related to feminism, racial justice, antimilitarization and will conclude with discussions hosted by various social justice organizations.
Dissensions in the protest
The People’s March is unusual in the sense that it brings together a wide range of issues under one roof
says Jo Reger, a sociology professor who studies social movements at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. Protests for women’s suffrage, for example, had a specific goal.
For a large-scale social justice movement like the March, conflicting visions are impossible to avoid and there is a immense pressure
so that organizers meet everyone’s needs, adds Ms. Reger. But some discord isn’t necessarily a bad thing, she says.
Often this brings change and new perspectives, especially from underrepresented voices
she emphasizes.
According to the general director of the Women’s March, an imposing demonstration like that of 2017 is not the objective of Saturday. Rather, she wants to draw attention to a broader set of issues – women’s rights and reproductive rights, the rights of LGBTQimmigration, climate and democracy – rather than focusing more narrowly on Donald Trump.
We don’t view walking as an end in itself, says Tamika Middleton. How can we ensure that people who run in organizations and in their political homes can continue to fight in their communities for the long term?
